News Nosh 3.19.20

"The corona will disappear in the end. But democracy never goes back to zero: what is going wrong these
days, under the auspices of corona, will not be easily corrected. Corona must therefore be dealt with, as if
there weren’t a terrorist attack against democracy in front of our eyes, and we must fight for democracy as if
there were no corona."
--Yedioth's top political commentator, Nahum Barnea writes in an Op-Ed today, after the government employed
numerous anti-democratic means to fight the corona virus.**

Top News Summary:
As the corona crisis becomes more severe in Israel (as of Thursday night, the number of sick has jumped to 677), so do the measures taken against citizens to
prevent its spread, sparking apprehension that Israel’s democracy is being eroded - and for reasons not
necessarily related to the illness (See the numerous Commentary/Analysis below.)

Half a Million Israelis to Be Laid Off in March Because of Coronavirus, State Forecasts - The
National Insurance Institute's unemployment department normally handles 17,000-20,000 new unemployment requests
a month, but is expecting 400,000 in March. (Haaretz+)

Health Ministry Says Mossad Bought Wrong Testing Kits for Coronavirus - 'Unfortunately what we
just received is not exactly what we needed,' ministry deputy director general says. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)

WATCH Coronavirus Crisis: Drone Shows an Emptied-out Tel Aviv as Lockdown Continues -
Netanyahu has warned Israel would expand the lockdown to combat the coronavirus unless people stepped up
compliance with guidelines urging them to stay at home. (Haaretz and VIDEO)

Israeli workforce suffers as coronavirus hits businesses - Almost 400,000 registering as
unemployed since the start of the month, the newly jobless are struggling to understand what they can expect by
way of financial assistance and benefits from their government. (Yedioth/Ynet)

Israeli Manufacturers Push to Be Exempt From Country’s Lockdown - Exporters fear they will be
replaced by companies in countries with less draconian policies against coronavirus. (Haaretz+)

Aliyah and coronavirus: 24 new immigrants from U.S. land in Israel, while flight from Ethiopia
canceled - The first group of immigrants to arrive in Israel during the coronavirus outbreak lands
safely and is sent to quarantine: ‘Complete strangers [left] piles of supplies stocked outside our door just
waiting for us to come home.’ (Haaretz+)

Setting differences aside, Israel, PA coordinate fight on virus - Coordinating with Ramallah,
Israel imposes a closure on the West Bank as the Palestinian Authority reports 44 cases of coronavirus. “Our
shared borders leave no room for hesitation over the need to cooperate on the highest levels to prevent the
spread of the virus,” PA official says. (Israel Hayom)

Israel wages war on Palestinian coronavirus outbreak - IDF, Israeli healthcare experts and
international aid groups rush to bolster health capabilities in the West Bank and Gaza, where there is only one
coronavirus testing kit for 1.8 million people; UN, Qatar donate millions for equipment. (Yedioth/Ynet)

Palestinians Defy Leaders' Coronavirus Crisis Ban on Work in Settlements - Laborers earn
relatively higher incomes in Israel, where some 100,000 Palestinians work, and in West Bank settlements.
(Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)

Iran braces for '3.5 million' dead in coronavirus outbreak - Iranian Health Ministry reports
135 more people died Tuesday from the respiratory complications associated with the novel virus, raising total
to 988. (Haaretz)

Quick Hits:

Peace Now: West Bank settlements surged in 2019 - Watchdog says construction began last year
on 1,917 new settler homes , with overall average of 2,267 new homes per year since Trump took office, compared
to annual average of 1,807 units during Obama administration. (Ynet)

ICC on lockdown, decision on anti-Israel probe delayed - The Hague International Criminal
Court has suspended operations over coronavirus outbreak. International Crimes Court’s decision about whether
to launch a full-scale investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes likely to be delayed by at least a month.
(Israel Hayom)

‘This Too Shall Pass’ Astronaut, Looking Down on Tel Aviv, Offers a Message of Hope for Her Father's
Hometown - Jessica Meir frequently posts photos of Earth taken from the International Space Station,
where she has been since late September. (JTA, Haaretz)

Elections
2020/Netanyahu/Corona Commentary/Analysis:Analysis The Plot to Paralyze Israel's Parliament (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein could have stood up to Netanyahu’s
henchmen. Instead he humiliated himself and let Israeli democracy take an unprecedented blow.For the First Time Ever, Israeli Democracy Has Been Shut Down (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) By next Monday, Israel may well be under total shutdown due to the
coronavirus, led by a government that was inaugurated five years and four elections ago.Human rights are our protection against harm to the government (Attorney Sharon Abraham-Weiss,
Maariv) The fear of corona spreading justifies taking simple steps, and may even
go far. The thing is that everything has to be done to in moderation, with transparency and while maintaining
democracy.Netanyahu Is Using Coronavirus to Hold Onto Power (Haaretz Editorial) Panic over the coronavirus, justified as it may be, mustn’t
blind the public from seeing how the temporary prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and members of his party
are exploiting the crisis to hold onto power. Through their management of the coronavirus crisis, Netanyahu
and his government are neutralizing the justice system and quarantining the legislature.
Binyamin Netanyahu presents: A coup in the days of Corona (Uri Misgav, Haaretz Hebrew) Under the auspices of fear and the sense of emergency, a
government coup is being made in Israel. Instead of democracy, corono-cartia. The Israelis need to understand:
While you were secluded and confined, they stole your country. Even before that, the judiciary was
deactivated in the middle of the night, and the camp that lost the election is doing everything possible to
neutralize the legislature as well. This includes preventing convening and establishing committees, as well as
sneaky moves by the Knesset Speaker to postpone him being replaced. The executive branch, the one which is
appropriating for itself the government and preventing parliamentary and judicial oversight of its operations,
is a transitional government that has not won public or the Knesset trust. At its head, by virtue of loopholes
in the law that the founding fathers did not foresee, stands a man who has been facing criminal charges for a
year and who failed three election campaigns one after another. The ultimate goal is the constant postponing
of his trial and the theft of power. The media has long not been the solution, but rather part of the problem,
and in the meantime it allows him to make a speech every night to the subjects as if he were the father of the
nation; An eternal ruler of the eternal people. It is amazing that even this week, politicians and
commentators are still walking around who refuse to understand: Netanyahu will not voluntarily go to trial and
will not voluntarily leave the bunker in Balfour [official residence of prime minsiter - OH] where he is
barricaded. It can only happen by force. Like any head of a crime organization, the court will need to bring
him handcuffed. The Prime Minister's Office intends to register a taboo [on the virus - OH] until the world's
last corona virus is gotten rid of. After all, this is "not the time" for "small politics….”
There's no vaccine for hate (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) Yair Lapid and his cohort, who are accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of
authoritarianism in this war against a pandemic, cannot seem to muster the emotional fortitude required to
shed their blind hatred and help carry the load.Battle over the Knesset - In the Likud, they failed to internalize: Most of the Knesset is no longer in
their hands (Yuval Karni, Yedioth Hebrew) Two weeks and two days ago, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
celebrated a big victory, apparently, after the results of the television models that were supposed to predict
the election results for the 23rd Knesset. However, these were inaccurate, and the festivities turned out to
be early. What looked like a big victory for the right bloc - was a loss. For the third time, Netanyahu failed
to reach a majority of 61 MKs and form a government. The theater yesterday at the debate on the establishment
of Knesset committees was ridiculous and petty. The Knesset's regular committee, which is held by those who
have the parliamentary majority (corresponding to those who received the mandate for government assembly), is
important and essential to the Knesset's activities until the new government is sworn in. The committee
establishes the working procedures, approves the composition of the committees and is the authoritative and
senior body in the Knesset's activities. When Netanyahu was given the mandate to form the government, the
committee chair was MK Miki Zohar. When the mandate was transferred to Gantz - the committee was chaired by MK
Avi Nissenkorn. The decision to establish the committee is technical, and should be made at a formal meeting
of the Knesset Speaker's office. Likud representatives in the meeting, including MK Miki Zohar, made two
puzzling demands aimed at sticking with the establishment of the committee: The first was equal representation
of Likud and Kahol-Lavan members, so that the Knesset majority would not have a majority in the committee. But
the strangest requirement was to set up a committee with no more than 10 MKs. Apparently, Zohar is
implementing the Health Ministry's instructions. In practice, he uses them to weaken the committees
activities. You can also set up a committee with 12 and 15 members, if you adjust the way you sit to the
necessity of reality - through a video call or scattering the members in a larger hall, for example. Netanyahu
is holding a government meeting on Sunday with multi-party video calls. The Knesset was saturated with a
parade of threes. So now suddenly the composition of the regulating committee became a problem? The attempt to
prevent the establishment of the regulating committee appears to have a cynical political goal: to disable the
Knesset's activities, which could be in contrast to the transition government headed by Netanyahu. Likud
members did not admit that they were no longer the majority in the Knesset. Just like the attempt to prevent
the appointment of a new Knesset Speaker, even though a majority of 61 MKs applied for such an appointment
with the swearing-in of the new Knesset. In Kahol-Lavan, it is estimated that the attempt to harm the
Knesset's activities is part of a plan to leave one functioning authority in the State of Israel: the
government. After all, the Knesset, as an institution, has not been relevant for about a year and a half.
Could it imply negotiations for the establishment of a unity government? ? Time will tell. "We have difficulty
going with Netanyahu while he is simultaneously trying to destroy the Israeli Knesset," a close associate of
Gantz said, "perhaps because he really does not want a unity government."Raise the Black Flag at Home. Stand Up to the Tyrant Netanyahu (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Corona, corona, the tyrant muses to himself, where have you been all
my life?Netanyahu and Edelstein are threatening Israeli democracy (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) It is time for judicial activism to halt attempts by Knesset
minority, lead by the interim speaker and prime minister, to disregard results of democratic elections that
did not go in their favor, and show them that their efforts to cling to power are unsuccessful.Coronavirus Conspiracies: In an Israel on Edge, Panic-mongering Incitement Can Kill (Edan Ring,
Haaretz+) Conservative TV stars slur Arab citizens as 'quarantine refusers,'
politicians spread debunked paranoid theories. Disinformation on the coronavirus is spreading like wildfire in
Israel - and it poses a real public danger.It's not a game either (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth Hebrew) With all the weaknesses of the Israeli regime, one thing remains
unchallenged: respect for the decision at the ballot box. Rabin cleared his chair for Begin; Shamir cleared
his chair to Rabin; Peres vacated his chair for Netanyahu; Netanyahu vacated his chair to Barak; Barak cleared
his chair to Sharon; Olmert cleared his chair for Netanyahu. None of them liked the moment when he had to
clear his belongings from Balfour, but each realized that he had no choice. What is at issue at this point in
time is not only the law, the judiciary, the rules of the game, but the very confidence of the citizens in the
regime, in the state. In the words of Netanyahu this week on another topic: It's not a game. The March 2020
elections are the first in which the ruling party does not receive the rule. 17 days have passed since the
elections, and the Likud refuses to recognize the results. It began immediately after the polls closed, as
Prime Minister's associates launched a campaign on social media networks against the Central Election
Commission and the presiding judge, claiming the election was forged. It was a conscious lie, Balfour
Residence Fake News, as one of them later admitted. In the second stage, they proposed to Knesset members from
the left to defect to the right-wing bloc. When that didn't work out, they turned to corona. The result is
truly unprecedented: There is no elected government in Israel, the elected Knesset is neutralized, and the
courts are at the mercy of an appointed justice minister. This huge space is filled by one person: there is no
argument, no supervision, no balance, no supervision. For Russia imagine: From now on, not Binyamin Netanyahu
- but Binyamin Putinyahu. Make no mistake: There is no real connection between the corona crisis and the
demise of the democratic process. The trampling started before the crisis. The crisis is just an excuse. As in
corona, the number of carriers is greater than the number of patients. We find it hard to understand that the
disease is nested within us. This situation is dangerous in times of calm and even more dangerous in times of
emergency, when the public's confidence in the decisions taken by the government is of crucial importance.
Tonight, I watch the Prime Minister's announcement over the podium - the event is called a press conference,
although it is far from a party and does not have journalists - only heroic monologues - and I sincerely hope
that viewers believe it. It's hard for me: so many times Netanyahu cried wolf and the wolf did not come,
sometimes there was no wolf, so that I find it hard to believe him even when the wolf is real. I find it hard
to believe him when he is waving his and Israel's remarkable achievements in dealing with the crisis, because,
unfortunately the facts are the opposite. Israeli had good opening figures compared to other countries, and it
wasted them. I would have respected him more if he had said: We were wrong, and now we are fixing it. He also
takes senior Health Ministry officials with him to the districts that don’t trust him. It seems as if someone
told them: "The Israelis think they are on a corona vacation. Scare them: Only if you scare them to death they
will stay home." And then the Health Ministry director general Moshe Bar Siman-To, a generally settled person,
announces "many thousands of dead." If that is expected, our situation is far worse than Italy's situation. In
the meantime, not a single person has died in Israel. Isn’t it yet time to dig graves in the public gardens.
This may sound petty, but you should be able to expect from someone who preaches to others to keep some basic
precautions. Health ministry officials speak into microphones drenched in their predecessors' spits, touch
their hands on a contaminated surface and marvel at talking about social remoteness while behind them, in the
transparent television studio, physical proximity celebrates. The ministers arrange their chairs as if they
were children's games, but immediately at the end of the event they gather together (at least Litzman is no
longer there. He gives his personal example at the meetings in Bnei Brak). The corona will disappear in the
end. But democracy never goes back to zero: what is going wrong these days, under the auspices of corona, will
not be easily corrected. Corona must therefore be dealt with, as if there weren’t a terrorist attack against
democracy in front of our eyes, and we must fight for democracy as if there were no corona.Seconds after Netanyahu evaporates from political life, a government will deadlock here (Ran
Adelist, Maariv) The government is in a flurry that was intended to remove us from the
plunder, and without a clear mandate to form a government, a bureaucratic invasion of democracy is currently
underway, much like the Corona's expansion.Israel needs a real plan to fight coronavirus (Nadav Eyal, Yedioth/Ynet) There is no strategic scheme in place to fight the spread of
the virus and mass testing must be conducted to separate the sick from the well and prevent more infection,
but the Israeli authorities are taking one hesitant step at a time.Under the auspices of the virus, Netanyahu tried to do away with Kahol-Lavan (Dr. Baruch Leshem,
Yedioth Hebrew) The corona unity government is a trap for Gantz. The epidemic
will make Kahol-Lavan fade away, and in the subsequent elections the right-wing will receive 61 seats en route
to legislating the French law (preventing Netanyahu from being put on trial).Knesset work stalled as Likud refuses to accept its minority role (Moran Azulay, Yedioth/Ynet) Edelstein is complicit in his parties maneuvers to prevent the
Knesset majority from passing bills that will block Netanyahu from another election bid in complete disregard
of democracy and the law.What is a small Chinese compared to the end of democracy (Tzur Sheizaf, Ynet Hebrew) Under the auspices of corona, the courts were closed, digital means
are being used against civilians, and panic is being exploited by opportunistic politicians. I am
optimistic…..By Sunday afternoon, I had read in the paper that the government approved regulations allowing
police and inspectors to impose administrative fines on those who violated isolation orders and orders not to
congregate in groups, as well as regulations that allow detention hearings without the physical presence of
detainees but a video call. Visits to prisoners and detainees were also restricted - even by lawyers, with
whom they would be consulted by phone. And then I read that they were going to monitor phones and track Corona
patients to see where they were and what they were doing. And, of course, they emphasized, the information
will not be stored anywhere else. Nowhere! I calmed myself.. It cannot be used against any law-abiding
citizen, as the courts are closed (though an order may be issued in a video session). We followed people a
little, we detained a little, we jailed a little. What are you getting stressed about? Everything is improving
here. Sit home and do what you are told. Bibi, (Justice Minister) Amir Ohana, (Transportation Minister)
Bezalel Smotrich and the entire army of heaven will already tell you how to behave…Coronavirus Shows Netanyahu Is a Good Crisis Manager but a Very Dangerous Leader (Ravit Hecht,
Haaretz+) In a criminal exploitation of the historic coronavirus crisis,
Netanyahu and his party prevented parliamentary proceedings in an effort to neutralize Gantz's majority.

Other Commentary/Analysis:Coronavirus in the West Bank: We Palestinians Have Plenty of Experience Surviving Curfews and
Lockdowns (George Zeidan, Haaretz+) It turns out there are ironic 'benefits' in being so easily
blockaded by our neighbors. And another surprise: an unlikely outbreak of pride in the Palestinian Authority's
commitment and competence.Israel is in all-out war with the coronavirus (Giora Eiland, Yedioth/Ynet) The government is busy patting itself on the back on the way the
crisis is being handled, but there are quite a few changes that need to be made if we are to come out of it
relatively unscathed.Palestinians Would Die for the Israeli Kind of Lockdown (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Even the terms have been borrowed from the occupation: Israel is on
its way to a lockdown, the army is taking over hotels, the Shin Bet security service is taking over our
cellphones, and the Border Police and its checkpoints are right around the corner. It’s no coincidence that
Haaretz’s military analyst has been recruited to serve as the coronavirus analyst. In a day or two Tel Aviv
will resemble Jenin and Israel will be like the Gaza Strip. What is routine there has become a frightening
dystopia here.The Plague Is a Formative Event. When It Fades, New Possibilities Will Emerge (David Grossman,
Haaretz+) When the coronavirus pandemic ends, some won't wish to return to their
former lives, David Grossman writes.As Coronavirus Ravages Iran, the Ayatollah Turns to the World for Help (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Coronavirus crisis: Iran is asking the IMF for a loan to help combat
the virus - the first request for help since the Shah was in power.

Interviews:The Expert Who Says Israel Is Overreacting to Coronavirus
Prof. Michael Levitt's theory that Israel is not risking much with coronavirus made him an instant star among
worried citizens. (Interviewed by Amos Harel in Haaretz+)

Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.